Swap Shop Time!

Every year, the NHL trading deadline looms before general managers as teams tinker with chemistry and line combinations in order to strengthen their chances in the NHL Playoffs. Teams trade players and draft picks with crazy regularity on this day, but this year was a little different. With a large number of teams sitting on playoff bubbles, there was definitely less action in terms of general managers burning up phone lines. There were some bigger names that moved, but I don't know if any of the moves made will significantly make any of the teams better. Time will tell, of course, so let's check out who's in and who's out for each NHL team since March 1.

In: Petteri Nokelainen, Lubomir Visnovsky, Aaron Ward, Curtis McElhinney, Joey MacDonald, Nathan Oystrick, 2010 4th-round (BOS) and 2011 conditional picks (ATL), future considerations (CHI).
Out: Steve Kampfer, Ryan Whitney, Justin Pogge, Vesa Toskala, Nick Boynton, Evgeny Artyukhin, 2010 4th-round and 2011 7th-round pick, conditional pick.

In: Clarke MacArthur, Evgeny Artyukhin, 2010 4th-round pick (BUF).
Out: Nathan Oystrick, 2010 3rd-round pick, 2011 conditional pick.

In: Steve Kampfer, Dennis Seidenberg, Matthew Bartkowski Cody Wild.
Out: Derek Morris, Craig Weller, Byron Bitz, Matt Marquardt, 2010 2nd-round and 4th-round picks.

In: Raffi Torres, 2010 2nd-round (CBJ) and 2010 3rd-round (ATL) picks.
Out: Nathan Paetsch, Clarke MacArthur, 2010 6th-round pick.

In: Vesa Toskala, Steve Staios, Andy Delmore, 2010 4th-round pick (NAS).
Out: Curtis McElhinney, Dustin Boyd, Aaron Johnson, Riley Armstrong, 2010 3rd-round pick.

In: Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala, Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll, Justin Pogge, 2010 2nd-round and 7th-round (WAS), 2010 3rd-round (VAN), 2010 4th-round (ANA) and 2010 6th-round (COL) picks.
Out: Aaron Ward, Scott Walker, Andrew Alberts, Joe Corvo, Stephane Yelle, Harrison Reed.

In: Nick Boynton, Hannu Toivonen, Danny Richmond.
Out: Joe Fallon, Future considerations.

In: Kevin Porter, Peter Mueller, Stephane Yelle, Harrison Reed.
Out: Wojtek Wolski, Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll, 2010 6th-round pick.

In: Greg Moore, Nathan Paetsch, Chad Kolarik, Matt Rust, 2010 6th-round pick (WAS) and 2010 conditional (LAK) picks.
Out: Raffi Torres, Milan Jurcina, Fredrik Modin, Mathieu Roy, Alex Picard, Dylan Reese, 2010 2nd-round pick.

In: No roster moves made.
Out: No roster moves made.

In: Jordan Owens, Riley Armstrong.
Out: Kris Newbury, Andy Delmore.

In: Ryan Whitney, Aaron Johnson, Matt Marquardt, 2010 2nd-round (NAS), 2010 3rd-round (CAL) and 2010 6th-round (ANA) picks.
Out: Lubomir Visnovsky, Steve Staios, Cody Wild, Denis Grebeshkov.

In: Craig Weller, Byron Bitz, Mathieu Roy, 2010 2nd-round (BOS) and 2010 2nd-round (PIT) picks.
Out: Dennis Seidenberg, Matthew Bartkowski, Matt Rust, Jordan Leopold.

In: Jeff Halpern, Fredrik Modin.
Out: Teddy Purcell, 2010 3rd-round and 2010 conditional picks.

In: 2010 2nd-round pick.
Out: Eric Belanger.

In: Aaron Palushaj.
Out: Matt D'Agostini.

In: Dustin Boyd, Denis Grebeshkov.
Out: 2010 2nd-round and 4th-round picks.

In: Martin Skoula.
Out: 2010 5th-round pick.

In: Dylan Reese, 2010 2nd-round (OTT) pick.
Out: Greg Moore, Andy Sutton.

In: Kris Newbury, Anders Eriksson.
Out: Jordan Owens, Miika Wiikman, 2010 7th-round pick.

In: Andy Sutton.
Out: 2010 2nd-round pick.

In: No roster moves made.
Out: No roster moves made.

In: Derek Morris, Wojtek Wolski, Mathieu Schneider, Lee Stempniak, Matt Jones, Alex Picard, Miika Wiikman, 2010 7th-round (NYR) and 2010 conditional (ANA) pick.
Out: Peter Mueller, Kevin Porter, Petteri Nokelainen, Sean Zimmerman, 2010 4th-round, 6th-round, and 7th-round picks, 2011 4th-round pick.

In: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Jordan Leopold, 2010 6th-round (TOR) pick.
Out: Chris Peluso, Luca Caputi, Martin Skoula, 2010 2nd-round pick.

In: No roster moves made.
Out: No roster moves made.

In: Matt D'Agostini, Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Joe Fallon.
Out: Aaron Palushaj, Yan Stastny, Hannu Toivonen, Danny Richmond.

In: Teddy Purcell, 2010 3rd-round (LAK) pick.
Out: Jeff Halpern.

In: Martin Skoula, Luca Caputi, Chris Peluso, 2010 4th-round and 7th-round (PHO), 2010 5th-round (NJD), 2011 7th-round (ANA) picks.
Out: Martin Skoula, Lee Stempniak, Matt Jones, Joey MacDonald, Alexei Ponikarovsky, 2010 6th-round pick.

In: Yan Stastny, Sean Zimmerman, Andrew Alberts, 2010 6th-round (PHO) pick.
Out: Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Mathieu Schneider, 2010 3rd-round pick.

In: Scott Walker, Eric Belanger, Milan Jurcina, Joe Corvo.
Out: Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala, 2010 2nd-round, 2nd-round, 6th-round, and 7th-round picks.

Pittsburgh and Washington bulked up for another extended playoff run for both teams, while I'm confused as to the direction that both Phoenix and Anaheim took. Colorado dealt away an underachieving youngster for another underachieving youngster, so it will remain to be seen how this trade shakes out. In fact, we'll see how all these trades shake out.

In other rumblings, there are two major announcements coming tomorrow. The first apparently has Albany making noise about a potential move of a franchise to that city. As you may be aware, the River Rats are moving to Charlotte, North Carolina as the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes would like their AHL affiliate closer to home. The prevailing rumour is that the Portland Pirates may be on their way out of Portland, Maine and heading to upstate New York. Portland, of course, is the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, and the Sabres would like their players closer to Buffalo as well.

The second? That Thrashers-to-Winnipeg rumour just will not go away. It's been killed by every hockey prognosticator across North America, but there were reports of Gary Bettman being in Winnipeg today. The press conference is scheduled for tomorrow at MTS Centre, and there seems to be a very strange ambiance at MTS Centre tonight amongst a few key Moose people. Something is definitely up, kids. And it sounds like this might be the best-kept secret in the industry right now.

I'll dig some more before the evening is up, but I'm getting nowhere fast right now. All I know is that it appears there is a lot of whispering going on. If deals are being struck, they are being done discreetly.

Until I find out more, keep your sticks on the ice!